Black and white thinking

A watch's functions are important, but how it makes you feel is vital

- RICHARD HOLT

THE DESIRE TO BUY A WATCH CAN crop up when you least expect it. You're thumbing through a magazine fantasising about cars that you'd have to sell several body parts to afford, your eye rests on a watch advert, then suddenly you start thinking about the role it could play in your life.

Back in WWI, the role watches played was purely functional. When an officer strapped a pocketwatch to his wrist, it was to time attacks in a probably futile attempt to keep more of his men alive.